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Engine of Destruction
Engine of Destruction is an encounter in the Crystal Kismet mission hub. It comes after Wielder of the Dream. Enemies *Erakka-Sak (20000 Gold, 1600 Xp, 1000 Energy, 1 HP) Transcript Introduction Far ahead, in the black depths of the passage, there's a rumbling. The sound is distant, yet bears an unquestionable weight and power that fills your mind with foreboding images. On the wall beside you, a ruined dragon stares from a melancholy stone eye. Its former grandeur is evident from what remains. It was once as finely sculpted as those you looked upon before. But its stone body has been smashed, pulverized by blows that must have been mighty indeed... "Do you know what an Erakka-Sak is?" Rakshara asks. "From the tales of the Dragon-Rider. It's an ancient form of war machine -- like a golem." "Yes. The body of an oroc encased in a tomb of rock and crystal, a walking engine of destruction powered by the soul of a fallen champion." "Great..." Hugh sighs. "I thought they were all gone," Tessa says. "That's what the stories said." "And it was true, when they were written," the orange oroc replies. "This one was built at the behest of the Sapphire King." "It's new?" A low whistle escapes your lips. "In Lucian's writings, he said the knowledge of how to make them was lost." "And so it should have remained. But the king found at least a fragment of what he sought." There's a crash in the darkness, the reverberating echo of stone slamming against stone. "A fragment?" "The machine was built, and at first it obeyed his commands. Then it became... corrupted. When he conquered these caverns, he ordered it to guard this passage and kill any enemies it encountered. It slaughtered many of our warriors. But something in its construction, some element of sorcery, must have been flawed. It turned on our enemies as well. That's why this tunnel was abandoned -- any who encounter the Erakka-Sak meet their deaths here." "My ancestor destroyed one. They're not invulnerable." The moment the words leave your lips, it occurs to you that your ancestor had an entire army at %his% back. But you leave that thought unspoken. "We'll test its might," you say instead. "If it proves more than we can handle, I'll distract it while the rest of you escape." The others seem satisfied with that announcement, ready to follow your lead. You just hope you aren't leading them to destruction. But indecision will achieve nothing, so you continue down the passage -- your magical light driving away the shadows, rolling on ever closer to the crashing rumble. Conclusion The ape-like construct thunders towards you, its crystal knuckles striking and scraping against the rock. Bestial fury blazes from its blue eyes, each orb glowing with eldritch power and unquenchable wrath. But for all its defiance, for all its power, the machine is slowing -- dying. Threads of cyan light, the same color as those glaring eyes, glimmer across its body. Each is a wound, a crack in its shell that lays bare the sorcerous force beneath. A huge, clumsy fist slams down towards you. Evading it is child's play. It crashes against the ground, tendrils of blueness expanding as the impact widens its fissures. You toss a fireball at its face in return. The burst of enchanted force and flame sends its crystal-studded skull reeling. A shining arrow cuts through the air as the magical fire disperses into the ether. Another of Tessa's shafts, shrouded in Brachus' magic -- a stratagem concocted at a moment's notice, but effective nonetheless. A steel arrowhead could do little against the solid slabs of rock. But one laced with infernal energy... The arrow bores its way through the beast's rocky hide as though it were made from parchment. A dozen more attacks rain down upon it before it can recover -- a bombardment of spells and arrows, a flurry of blows from swords and axes. Rakshara's blade manages to work its way into a chink in the creature's body, as you know it did once before... When the beast succumbs at last, tottering away and thudding against the tunnel wall before collapsing, its death seems a mercy. The thrill of victory glitters in every eye, the intoxicating knowledge of the magnitude of what you've done. To destroy a monstrosity last slain by the Dragon-Rider and his forces... You prepare to say something, to throw words upon deeds and add to the story being forged in your name. But Rakshara speaks first. "Where you walk, the world changes. Just like your ancestor." That seems more than adequate. So you simply smile, and allow history to flow on its course. Category:Crystal Kismet